Psychology 1000 Exam questions
and answers graded A+
What is Social Psychology? Where is the emphasis placed? - ANS✅✅Social Psychologists: examine
aspects of the situation
Attribution? - ANS✅✅a conclusion about the cause of an observed behavior/event
What is the fundamental attribution error (FAE)? - ANS✅✅When we go too far in assuming that a
person's behavior is caused by their personality.
We tend to overemphasize Dispositional_ attribution and underemphasize situational attribution
We may make this error even when we are given correct facts
Williams College Study
Situational Attribution? - ANS✅✅factors outside the person doing the action, such as peer
pressure
Dispositional Attribution? - ANS✅✅the person's stable, enduring traits, personality, ability,
emotions
How might the attributions look different in collectivist cultures? - ANS✅✅1. The behavior of
others is attributed more to the situation
2. Credit for successes is given more to others
3. Blame for failures is taken on oneself.
Asch Line Studies? Who conducted? What did they show? - ANS✅✅Conformity
Solomon Asch (1951)
,What makes you more likely to conform?
-Made to feel
-incompetent/insecure
-No prior commitments
-Group Size
-Unanimity
-Group status
-Your culture encourages respect for norms.
Asch's Line Judgement Task
-pick the line that is the same
-someone will choose the answer if they see other people picking it
Phillip Zombardo/Stanford Prison Experiment? Who conducted? What did they show? - ANS✅✅-
Role Playing
-Researchers simulated a prison environment
-Randomly assigned participants to two groups
-"guards" had demeaning views of "prisoners
-"prisoners" had rebellious dislike of the "guards
Stanley Milgram? Who conducted? What did they show? - ANS✅✅Stanley Milgram (1933-1984)
Milgram Obedience Experiment
The question: Under what social conditions are people more likely to obey
The experiment: An authority figure tells participants to administer shocks to a "learner"
Factors that increase Obedience
-Authority
-Prestige
-Proximity (Physical and Emotional)
, Normative Influence - ANS✅✅Pursuit of social approval or belonging (and to avoid
disapproval/rejection)
-Example: The Asch conformity studies
Informational Influence - ANS✅✅-Their ideas and behavior make sense, the evidence in our social
environment changes our minds.
-Example: Sheriff Studies Deciding which side of the road to drive on.
Group Behavior and Influence - ANS✅✅Besides conformity and obedience, there are other ways
that our behavior changes in the presence of others, or within a group:
-Social Facilitation = Individual performance is intensified when you are observed by others
-Experts vs Novices
-Social Loafing: the tendency of people in a group to show less effort when not held individually
accountable
-Group Polarization: When people of similar views form a group together, discussion within the
group makes their views more extreme.
-Different groups become MORE different, more polarized, in their views
-Group Think_: In pursuit of social harmony (and avoidance of open disagreement), groups will make
decisions without an open exchange of ideas.
-Irony: Group "think" prevents thinking, prevents a realistic assessment of options.
Prejudice - ANS✅✅-Unjustified (usually negative) attitude toward a group (and its members)
Discrimination - ANS✅✅-Unjustified behavior selectively applied to members of a group.
Stereotypes - ANS✅✅-A generalized belief about a group, applied to every member of a group.
and answers graded A+
What is Social Psychology? Where is the emphasis placed? - ANS✅✅Social Psychologists: examine
aspects of the situation
Attribution? - ANS✅✅a conclusion about the cause of an observed behavior/event
What is the fundamental attribution error (FAE)? - ANS✅✅When we go too far in assuming that a
person's behavior is caused by their personality.
We tend to overemphasize Dispositional_ attribution and underemphasize situational attribution
We may make this error even when we are given correct facts
Williams College Study
Situational Attribution? - ANS✅✅factors outside the person doing the action, such as peer
pressure
Dispositional Attribution? - ANS✅✅the person's stable, enduring traits, personality, ability,
emotions
How might the attributions look different in collectivist cultures? - ANS✅✅1. The behavior of
others is attributed more to the situation
2. Credit for successes is given more to others
3. Blame for failures is taken on oneself.
Asch Line Studies? Who conducted? What did they show? - ANS✅✅Conformity
Solomon Asch (1951)
,What makes you more likely to conform?
-Made to feel
-incompetent/insecure
-No prior commitments
-Group Size
-Unanimity
-Group status
-Your culture encourages respect for norms.
Asch's Line Judgement Task
-pick the line that is the same
-someone will choose the answer if they see other people picking it
Phillip Zombardo/Stanford Prison Experiment? Who conducted? What did they show? - ANS✅✅-
Role Playing
-Researchers simulated a prison environment
-Randomly assigned participants to two groups
-"guards" had demeaning views of "prisoners
-"prisoners" had rebellious dislike of the "guards
Stanley Milgram? Who conducted? What did they show? - ANS✅✅Stanley Milgram (1933-1984)
Milgram Obedience Experiment
The question: Under what social conditions are people more likely to obey
The experiment: An authority figure tells participants to administer shocks to a "learner"
Factors that increase Obedience
-Authority
-Prestige
-Proximity (Physical and Emotional)
, Normative Influence - ANS✅✅Pursuit of social approval or belonging (and to avoid
disapproval/rejection)
-Example: The Asch conformity studies
Informational Influence - ANS✅✅-Their ideas and behavior make sense, the evidence in our social
environment changes our minds.
-Example: Sheriff Studies Deciding which side of the road to drive on.
Group Behavior and Influence - ANS✅✅Besides conformity and obedience, there are other ways
that our behavior changes in the presence of others, or within a group:
-Social Facilitation = Individual performance is intensified when you are observed by others
-Experts vs Novices
-Social Loafing: the tendency of people in a group to show less effort when not held individually
accountable
-Group Polarization: When people of similar views form a group together, discussion within the
group makes their views more extreme.
-Different groups become MORE different, more polarized, in their views
-Group Think_: In pursuit of social harmony (and avoidance of open disagreement), groups will make
decisions without an open exchange of ideas.
-Irony: Group "think" prevents thinking, prevents a realistic assessment of options.
Prejudice - ANS✅✅-Unjustified (usually negative) attitude toward a group (and its members)
Discrimination - ANS✅✅-Unjustified behavior selectively applied to members of a group.
Stereotypes - ANS✅✅-A generalized belief about a group, applied to every member of a group.
